


The Earth Laughs in Flowers

by jbthegift (JaneQDoe)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Post-Season/Series 01, SuperCat Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneQDoe/pseuds/jbthegift
Summary: Carter Grant ends up helping his mother get something quite special for Christmas.The title is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Relationships: Carter Grant & Cat Grant, Kara Danvers/Cat Grant
Comments: 25
Kudos: 126
Collections: Super Santa Femslash 2019





	The Earth Laughs in Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SupergaySupercat (octoplods)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/octoplods/gifts).

> Written for the 2019 Supersanta Femslash, for the very talented Supergaysupercat (of the amazing artworks).
> 
> Your prompts were so good, they both wound up in the story. I hope you enjoy! :)

“Carter? Caaarrrter!” Cat Grant called out as she rushed around her spacious penthouse bedroom, hopping to force her foot into a problematic Louboutin heel.

Her teenage son ambled into view. “Mom?”

Now fully shod and devastatingly well-dressed, she smiled a little frantically at her favorite person. “I’m almost late for my fund-raising meeting with the Young Progressives Coalition. Walk, walk,” Cat said, shooing him in front of her as they headed towards the front door. “It may run extra late, so don’t wait for me to have dinner. There’s plenty in the refrigerator or freezer for you to decimate.” She attempted a wink (astonishingly, one of the few things Cat Grant couldn’t do, along with pleasing her mother) at the young man, who’d hit a decided uptick in his food intake shortly after turning thirteen several months ago. Every spare calorie was apparently being pumped into use, as he’d grown at least a full inch in height since then too. By next Christmas, Cat was sure he’d be definitively taller than her 5'5"-ish, and it made her so somber she refused to consider it any longer, and decided ignoring reality was the best option.

The Grant duo reached the entryway to their spacious home. Off on the side table, a large frequently-changed floral arrangement gleamed, and like a flash of lightning Cat's memory was jogged.

“Oh shit," she groaned, "Carter…”

Carter sighed, thinking he was about to get the usual ‘Mom’s leaving’ speech, although the curse was a new addition. “I know - homework done before video games, brush my teeth, in bed by ten,…”

Cat broke off his sing-song recital with a hand flutter. “Yes, yes, all of that sweetheart. It totally slipped my mind until just now, and I just remembered what I forgot to do: order my mother her usual arrangement of Christmas flowers. I’m sure that’s a subliminal message my therapist will want to discuss in depth.”

He cocked his head quizzically, not at all versed in the floral arts. “You send her flowers? For Christmas? That’s a thing people do?”

She was trying not to be impatient, as this was clearly Cat’s own fault, but she really had to go. “For Katherine Grant it is. I send flowers for my father's headstone, and her some giant, extremely expensive floral monstrosity she still manages to nitpick. I could park a Rose Bowl parade float in the middle of Metropolis, and she'd call it tacky and derivative. It’s still better than having to actually spend the holiday with her, as if she’s ever wanted to…” 

The grandson in question nodded. There was unfortunately not much love lost between Katherine and either of the Grants, and to Carter, sending a ton of roses or whatever to her apartment seemed like a sweet Yuletide exchange versus a visit. “It’s cool, Mom, I can do it for you. The florist is the usual - Newman’s, right?” 

Cat nodded, impressed her son had remembered, and gave him a few details about how to order. Then she shook her head and opened the door to the hallway as the elevator dinged its arrival. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“Well, Mom, you did used to have someone to help you with that stuff,” Carter reminded her, with the smallest of smirks.

His mother yanked him into a hug and pressed a kiss against his head, just barely having to tug him lower to be able to reach. “True, but I can’t really put The Tribune’s best junior reporter on the case of the missing maternal bouquet, can I? Thank you for taking care of that for me, Carter. I really appreciate it. Love you!” And with a whirl she was out the door.

Carter stepped into the hallway to watch his petite mother stride towards the elevator waiting to take her to the also waiting car. “I got this, don’t worry. Have fun Mom!”

Cat called behind her without turning. “I know you do and stay away from any runaway trains please.” And she was gone.

He grinned as he turned and purposefully locked the door behind him. Safety first, after all. Then Carter headed for his mother’s study, and her computer. He knew there was a tiny chance (or honestly, a huge chance) he’d forget about his task if he returned to the book he’d been reading before being summoned by his mother.

The florist’s website was easy to find, and thankfully Cat had everything auto-filled, so her dutiful son didn’t have to go all NSA code-breaker to suss out her password.

A virtual garden appeared before him, an electronic Eden. “There are a ton of options here,” he mused. He clicked over to the order history section Cat had mentioned. “Thank goodness. I’m a doctor, not a botanist, Jim!,” Carter giggled as he mangled his favorite Star Trek quote.

Most billionaires probably didn’t order their flowers personally, and Cat had staff at her new burgeoning foundation that usually handled that for her as well, at least for the impersonal business connections. But Carter knew that Cat liked to handle the important ones herself, even at times stopping in to the Newman’s shop to trail among the fragrant aisles. He’d enjoyed several sunny afternoons on the florist’s deck, petting the shop’s cat, waiting on his mother to exhaust her perfectionist tendencies.

The history tab was indeed helpful. Carter picked an arrangement his mother had sent to Katherine several holidays earlier, and made a few tiny changes, so his incredibly fussy grandmother couldn’t call out Cat for repeating what was, after all, supposed to be a gift. To Katherine, everything was fair game for her rigid judgement. After nodding in satisfaction at his previously unknown expertise in flower arranging, Carter was almost ready to click the checkout button when another part of his mother's account caught his eye.

It was, in effect, a drafts section. And it contained an eye-popping and expensive collection of flowers that were clearly not for his mother’s mother. The address had helpfully already been filled in as well: National City's own Kara Danvers.

“Huh,” Carter mused. And an idea was born, in a brain that shared nature and nurture with an award-winning journalist who’d also created her own empire.

Carter loved no one else on earth the way he loved his mother. It may not be cool for a thirteen-year-old to say that, but it was the truth. He’d only rarely crossed paths with the ferocious and legendary Queen of All Media, because the woman who lived at home with him was loving, funny, a good cook, and sort of a nerd. The one who cooked his favorite meal, and soothed his stomach when he got the flu, and never judged when Carter wanted to pursue a school subject or hobby outside the norm for kids his age. Cat moved mountains to be at every school event she could, attended and ruled every teacher conference, and even helped with his homework (except geometry this year, which was flummoxing them both).

As he got older and began to surf the net on his own (with massive parental controls put in place of course, by CatCo’s own Winn Schott), Carter eventually stumbled upon all sorts of press from which Cat had valiantly tried to shield him. There were the negatives, the usual things written about powerful women who forged their own paths and took no prisoners in a man’s world. There were the accolades and awards, and Carter’s favorite: the personal stories about how Cat had inspired people to go after what they wanted. She was off doing that very thing tonight in fact, the group of up-and-coming political optimists had been astounded The! Cat! Grant! would come to their meeting and offer her invaluable time and advice.

The weirdest and creepiest though were the gossip sites. Her past liaisons, possible affairs, health status, business decisions, finances, and marriages were all fair game and fodder, and that paled in comparison to the speculation on her love interests.

_“Cat Grant seen with John Stamos!”_ Which was true - John had gifted a young Carter a set of drums, which had been quickly dispatched to his father’s house.

_“Rob Lowe and Cat Grant, on again??”_ Carter had never met the man, so he wasn’t sure on that one. But his mother always changed the channel and muttered when the guy appeared on TV, so they really could be ex’s or ol' Rob might just be a jerk.

_“Cat robbing the cradle?”_ THAT had been accompanying a photo of his mom and Kara, sitting together and in deep discussion in one of the town cars. Obviously the rag hadn’t done even the most basic homework, since it was right there on the CatCo website with Kara’s photo and her position. But it wasn't totally outlandish. The photos captured Cat, mouth still moving, reaching out and straightening her assistant's collar. It seemed to take a long time, and a lot more touching than necessary. What was wrong with that shirt anyway??

He missed Kara. Occasional texts and chats via online games weren't the same. He knew his mom missed her too. Carter wasn’t sure what Cat felt for Kara, and he wasn’t quite sure Cat knew; Carter’s excuse was that he was thirteen and no expert on romance. 

“Does mom like girls?” he pondered. The gossip sites had occasionally linked Cat with women, but he’d never known her to date any. Although. Now that he actually gave it some thought…Cat didn’t really have a lot of close friends, but there were a few women who’d come around more often. Like that super-tall ambassador Diana, who still sent the most delicious gift basket of Greek delicacies for Cat’s birthday. Huh. Maybe they were “friends”? 

He shook his curly head. “Eww.” No one wanted to think about their mom doing…stuff. With anyone. Ever. 

But. Maybe he could just get Kara to come over, and she and Cat could talk. As friends, or mentor/mentee, or maybe more. That would be on them. “I’m like a Dungeon Master,” Carter congratulated himself on his logic as he clicked to add Kara’s arrangement to the shopping cart, and then hit the ‘checkout’ button.

_Christmas Eve, The Grant Beach House_

The previously confident Dungeon Master had reverted back to an anxious young teenager, who was pretty sure he was leaning into a panic attack as an unexpected Christmas Eve gift.

“Uh, Mom? I, um, sort of need to tell you something,” Carter stammered less than 30 minutes before his surprise guest was due. Due right there on the front porch of the house where he and his notorious control-freak mother were lazily preparing to spend Christmas Eve among rich desserts and classic movies and comfy clothes. He’d argued with himself, tried to steel his courage, and it had worked until about five minutes ago. She’d be unhappy with the sneakiness, but Carter knew she’d be **really** mad to be caught totally unawares when Kara came a-knocking. Like ‘no Christmas presents for Carter’ mad.

The media mogul was closing the oven door, after sliding a couple of pies in to bake. Carter couldn’t remember her making pies before on Christmas Eve (their usual was eggnog ice cream with sprinkles, and tons of cookies), but dessert wasn’t foremost on his mind for once.

“Yes Carter? What is it, are you ok?” Cat interjected with just a hint of concern, as she turned to her fidgeting son at the edge of the kitchen.

“No. I mean, yes. I’m fine. I just…I need to tell you something that you may…not totally like.” He paused again, breathing deeply as if he were fixing to step into the boxing ring with a formidable opponent. At his mother’s raised eyebrows, a clear sign of ‘and??’, he stood tall and let loose.

“IinvitedKaraovertospendChristmasEveandshe’llbehereatseven.” And…exhale.

“Again please? And speak very slowly son. I want to make sure I hear every word,” Cat requested, with a very specific tilt to her head. Much like a predator spotting its prey.

Yeah, he was in serious trouble. “I invited Kara over to spend Christmas Eve with us, and she’s supposed to be here at seven, and I sent her flowers and she may think it was from you? I thought…I mean, I know you miss her and I miss seeing her too, and maybe she had plans and won’t even come. Or not.”

“Let me make sure I understand,” Cat started, sliding her glasses off, her hazel eyes zeroing in like a missile on her son. Carter fought to not take another step backwards. “You went behind my back and invited my former assistant over for our family holiday, and are just letting me know mere moments before she arrives?”

He tried a smile, but it had to have shown on his face as a strange and wincing grimace. “Well, um, sort of, yes? But Mom, I…”

The same hand motion that sent her minions scurrying from her presence appeared, slicing through the air. “Carter Benjamin Grant. I cannot begin to imagine what you possibly were thinking, going through something that was clearly private, snooping really, and the audacity…” Cat was really winding up, and Carter could tell there were going to be some Pulitzer-level words used he’d need to look up later, assuming he survived.

The doorbell chimed, musically interrupting Cat’s speech.

“Of course she’s early,” Carter moaned quietly and dropped his head to his chest. But maybe that was a good thing. His mom wouldn’t eviscerate him in front of company. Probably.

Cat gestured to the door. “Your guest, you answer.”

The slowly opened door revealed, as expected, Kara Danvers. Dressed in dark jeans and a sweater, in her hands she carried a vase of flowers. “Carter, hi! It’s so good to see you!” She looked a little nervous, he thought, although still with that smile intact.

Carter was pretty sure he was going to die of embarrassment before his mother could kill him. Right here on the floor, he’d melt into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West, never to know more of life, or love, or the next Star Wars movie. No Christmas, no dessert. And Kara would get to eat all the pie.

(He’d been told before that along with his mother’s intelligence he’d also received a tiny portion of her dramatic nature, but Carter didn’t see it himself.)

As he stepped aside to let her enter, his mother spoke up. “Good evening, Kara. What a treat to have you here, on Christmas Eve. And you brought us flowers, how very thoughtful. Carter, please take those and put them on the table in the living room, so we can enjoy them during the movies.”

It was sort of weird, Carter thought as he relieved Kara of her burden. His mom was a master of hiding her feelings, he’d seen it all his life. But she’d literally just learned about his stunt with the flowers a few minutes ago, and she was playing it super cool and not acting very surprised at all. Maybe a little jumpy? But it was a feat, even for her.

“It’s kind of you to invite me, Miss…I mean, Cat,” Kara corrected herself. Like she'd been reminded about that before.

The two women sort of stared at each other for a moment. Carter’s arrival back from his flowery task seemed to break the spell.

“Son,” Cat began, half-turning to him, “why don’t you put those sugar cookies on to bake, while I give Kara the grand tour?”

He didn’t have much time to agree or even speak, before Cat ushered Kara out of the room.

Even weirder, his mom had apparently all of a sudden realized the correct way to say Kara’s name; it usually sounded more like 'Keira'. Something was up.

\- - - - - - -

The beach house was impressive, which was to be expected of any domicile Cat Grant purchased. They’d trailed through several of the luxurious rooms, before finally ending at the piece de resistance – the massive deck that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.

“It’s lovely, Cat,” Kara said, almost hushed by the grandeur of the vista in front of her. And not a little by the vision beside her as well.

“And,” her hostess added, “an excellent and secluded place to pop out to, if you need to take a phone call, or get some air, or…whatever.” 

Kara turned from one beautiful view to another. “Or whatever,” she grinned. “Thank you. And I appreciate the invitation. As unintentional on your part as it was.”

Ah. The time for real talk had come, and the air seemed a little crisper suddenly. 

The older woman took the lead and plunged ahead. “I'm impressed you called after getting the flowers. As I said a couple of days ago, it honestly hadn't been my intention to send them, I was just…daydreaming really. So, I went rather bold with the flower choices and meanings. I’m very glad my meddlesome son didn’t realize what I was trying to convey.” Only with superhuman senses could Cat's blush be detected.

If Kara was blushing, it was hard to tell in the darkening evening. “Well, when I realized what some of them represented, I was pretty sure the "C Grant" who signed the card was sort of trying to ask me out. I had hoped, but I wasn’t 100% sure which one that was.”

The smaller blonde’s grin was a little sheepish. “Probably both in actuality. But only one of us is legal, and frankly I saw you first.” The grin morphed into something a little less innocent.

“I'm impressed you admitted it. You could've played it off, Cat; I wondered if you would and we’d keep tiptoeing around this forever. But you took a risk. And it makes me feel like I can take a risk with you too. Thank you for letting me come over tonight, even if I’m pretty sure part of it is just to teach Carter a lesson on interfering.”

The timidity that had marked Kara Danvers’ early days as her assistant was long gone. The look in her wiser-than-her-years eyes said Kara was serious and she wasn’t throwing away her shot at building something with Cat.

Cat was intrigued to discover she’d been expertly maneuvered towards the porch railing in the corner of the deck, just outside of the exterior lights and the farthest spot from the rest of the house. “Well, I think this will be an evening none of us will forget, Carter included.” Cat reached out, and simply ran a finger along Kara’s bare forearm, and delighted in seeing the shiver it caused. “Setting aside the issue of the nosy teenager in the kitchen…you and I have quite a bit to discuss, darling, before this goes very much further. Neither of our lives are particularly commonplace and combining them could be difficult.”

Kara nodded, appreciating what the older blonde didn’t say, the topic they weren’t going to discuss tonight. Combining their lives could be not just difficult, but literally dangerous to them both. “I know, and I agree we have a lot to talk about, given who we are individually and how we met and um, the other stuff. But let me enjoy this first, yeah? Because when it's all boiled down, Cat: the amazing woman I’ve had a crush on for so long…she likes me back. And that's the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten.”

Kara beamed at her then, an unbelievable combination of sensuality and simple joy on that gorgeous face, and it was at that point Cat Grant knew for sure she was in deep, and also in deep trouble. Kara could flay her open with those quiet declarations, and Cat would burn a hole in the sea before she let harm come to her, or let Kara think she wasn’t as equally cherished.

“Okay to go this far at least? Consent is very important to me,” Kara asked, ever chivalrous, her intent clear and her focus clearly on Cat’s lips. Cat barely nodded before looping a finger in the front of Kara's jeans and tugging their bodies tightly together. Kara immediately wound her arms around the slender form she hoped to become MUCH more acquainted with, and lowered her head to press light and teasing kisses against the edges of that famous mouth. Such sharp words it could produce, yet so soft to the touch.

Her impatient new girlfriend (Kara’s mind could barely comprehend it) didn't stand that for long, and Cat's hand trailed imperiously up the center of Kara's torso to hold her face steady, steady enough for a stupendously deep kiss.

Kryptonian brains were functionally more advanced than human ones, so Kara usually had multiple levels of sensory input and thoughts in process. For a few seconds though - the only things on her mind were modulating her strength as she pulled Cat even closer, and every sense was attuned to Cat, and her body and her scent and the feel of her tongue and lips on Kara's. It's possible there was some premature levitation involved, and Cat either didn’t notice or was gracious enough not to comment. And a tiny corner of thought was dedicated to mentally jumping up and down screaming “Cat Grant is my girlfriend now and she is kissing MEEEEEEE!!”

It was all encompassing and primal and instantly addictive. Kara was hooked on the taste of this force of nature in her arms. And if this was just from a kiss, just the warm wetness of her mouth...whoa. She was the best kind of overwhelmed. There would need to be lessons to learn to adjust her super-self before adding more skin and more passion and more Cat. What an inspiration to learn though!

Slowly, other sensory stimuli penetrated the fog of lust for Kara. The waves crashing beneath them, the tang of the salt air, and from the inside of the house, the huffs of a teenager who'd been somewhat abruptly abandoned and was removing another sheet of slice and bake cookies from the oven.

Kara gently pulled away from Cat and turned the smaller woman to rest against the chest that occasionally wore the crest of the House of El. Cat wasn't faring much better controlling her breathing, and her pulse was quickly skipping along as her hands were held by Kara's in an embrace.

“So, great first kiss, yeah?” Kara mumbled against Cat's neck, fighting the urge to mark and lick and growl and bite and let Carter fend for himself until morning. 

Cat patted the solid forearm around her waist and thought about this gentle and adorkable woman behind her with a body that could bend steel, and which awaited Cat’s eventual delicious debauching. “I concur,” she said, almost shyly. “But I suppose we need to get back to my son, who's probably pacing the floor by now, wondering if his little plan worked too well, or backfired so badly I'm terminating you. Or tossing you into the waves.”

Kara agreed, and stepped backward enough to completely separate their bodies, allowing herself one more kiss to the back of Cat’s head. Her hands ached to be touch again and not let go, and so Supergirl discretely used a little freeze breath on herself to calm down. Cat of course had no built-in super-powered cooling system, and she tried taking multiple deep breaths of the sea air. That helped calm her heart rate, but didn't do much for the puffiness of her well-kissed lips, or the nipples clearly outlined against her fashionable but thin shirt. She’d planned on telling Carter that because or in spite of his little ploy, she and Kara were going to try dating, but telling him and showing him how the younger blonde affected her already were exceedingly different. 

They returned to the kitchen side by side, with Cat’s arms crossed tightly over her chest, to face a very skeptical looking Carter Grant. And what looked like a mountain of cookies.

Even an inexperienced kid could see this signs that these women were a couple. His expression conveyed the confusion. “What…I don’t understand? Earlier, in the kitchen, you were so…”

“Carter, you’re an amazing young man, with such a bright future ahead of you. And I’ve been ruling the media for longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve deserved more Oscars than even Meryl.” Cat grinned gently, as she prepared to do a little schooling.

“I got the flowers and I called your mom, bud.” Kara looked adoringly at her former boss. “You don’t work side by side with someone for as long as we did without knowing the way they speak and write. And I knew immediately that card wasn’t from her. Even if I wished it was.”

“And when Kara called, I of course was shocked,” Cat picked up the story, keeping it brief and editing out the embarrassing stammering and silence that afflicted their actual conversation. “But, we talked. And we realized…there were feelings on both sides that we’d like to explore. Slowly, and privately for now, before the press makes life more challenging. I did think you deserved to know though.”

The son mentally bowed to his mother. He’d been played, when he thought he was doing the playing. Cat’s smirk softened as Kara came to stand next to her. “I’m sorry Mom, and you too Kara. I shouldn’t have done that, it was not cool at all.”

"Come here son." She pulled the young man close and hugged him tightly before stepping back. "You're still in trouble for meddling, but I think we can postpone it until the new year."

“And I’d say it worked out really well for me.” Kara slid an arm around Cat and tugged her closer.

“Wait. You guys aren’t gonna be,” his face pinched up, “like all gross and kissy, are you? ‘Cause that’s…” Carter shuddered.

Kara huffed a laugh, while Cat smirked. He apparently and thankfully had no idea how very gross and kissy they’d just gotten. “Well, I’m afraid this may be one of your most unusual punishments then. For yes, we shall quite possibly be, I quote “all gross and kissy”, within the bounds of good taste and reason of course.”

Kara offered no respite to the teen, as she was busy giving her new girlfriend a literal and enthusiastic two thumbs up. Carter noted her offense: Kara was definitely siding with the ‘pro-gross and kissy’ faction.

If eye-rolling was genetic, Carter inherited it from his mother, for it was impressive. “Okay, okay. Just keep in mind I’m young and impressionable and your kid. And no one wants to think about their moms, you know, like that.”

Both blondes laughed. Cat separated enough from Kara and crossed the kitchen to give her son yet another squeeze. “We will. Thank you, Carter.” She pressed a quick kiss against his temple, and spoke in a lower tone that a human girlfriend standing at a distance wouldn’t have been able to hear. “And, I mean it, if you ever feel uncomfortable, for any reason, or….”

Her blue-eyed boy gently cut her off, and placed his hands on her upper arms in a stance he'd started doing as a toddler. “Mom, I know. It’s ok. I just want you to be happy. I like her, too.” Stepping away from Cat, he called for the younger woman who was trying to look like she wasn’t listening. “Come on, Kara, let’s get some pie and ice cream. Mom made a chocolate pecan pie, but I called dibs on that one, so you’ll have to settle for pumpkin.”

The outrage swept over Kara. “That is definitely not yours! You know that’s my favorite in the whole world, and I know she made it for ME. I will fight you for that pie, dude.” They shoved each other on the way to the desserts cooling on the counter.

Cat stayed where she was for a moment, watching her son, who was growing into a man way too fast, who’d pulled a clumsy stunt because he wanted more for his mother. And of all things, next to him, her girlfriend. The sunny, smart, gorgeous (superheroic even if they were officially ignoring that for now) Kara Danvers - here in her home and fitting in with her son so well, with promises of passion to come. The semi-jaded newswoman laid a finger on her lips in thought and couldn’t fight the joy that bubbled out onto her face manifesting as a glowing smile.

Christmas and the new year were looking better by the minute.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been literally a year since I posted anything, and I'm not sure how this came out as I feel very rusty. But it felt good to get back into the Supercat mindset, after being swept under by another fandom. But Cat and Kara are an OTP 4evah!
> 
> It was my original intent to be specific about the flowers Cat chose for Kara's bouquet, and there are a number of sites that clarify the many meanings of flowers, herbs, plants, etc. But, in the interest of time and not being able to quuuite find exactly what I wanted, I invoked author's privilege and left them unnamed.


End file.
